acrylic router bits? were to buy?

[seagul]

were can i get a decently priced acrylic router bit, for cutting acrylic sheeting?

anyone!?

[rcgates]

decently priced? That would be hard to say since good quality router bits aren't cheap.

Go to a hardware store, Ace, Home Depot, Lowes and get a good quality router bit, Bosch or such.

[Donw]

Lowes sells bosch. They are fine for small projects but dont last long. I think HD sell porter cable, they are not as good as bosch but are cheap. Woodcraft has amana and one off the best. If you have a big project it pays to just step up and buy one good bit instead of two or three cheap ones.

Don

[seagul]

second question, i know they classify bits by what htye are made to cut.. like wood.. metall... ect...

what am i looking for?

by cheap i mean under 35-40$ ive spend that for some crown type bits before easy.

[Donw]

Originally posted by seagul
second question, i know they classify bits by what htye are made to cut.. like wood.. metall... ect...

what am i looking for?

by cheap i mean under 35-40$ ive spend that for some crown type bits before easy.

Carbide woodworking bits.

Don

[RyanBrucks]

I will attest that bosch and portercable router bits will start to dull after making a couple tanks. Hard for me to say which died faster as I sometimes used my bosch trim bit even when I could have used the regular straight porter cable bit, just because it was still in the router.

So far I've made 5 acrylic tanks and I'm ready to upgrade to new higher quality bits that will last me more than 5 tanks before getting dull (which makes cutting feel sticky and grabby).

Anybody care to make any specific recommendations?

[Donw]

Originally posted by RyanBrucks
I will attest that bosch and portercable router bits will start to dull after making a couple tanks. Hard for me to say which died faster as I sometimes used my bosch trim bit even when I could have used the regular straight porter cable bit, just because it was still in the router.

So far I've made 5 acrylic tanks and I'm ready to upgrade to new higher quality bits that will last me more than 5 tanks before getting dull (which makes cutting feel sticky and grabby).

Anybody care to make any specific recommendations?

Amana and cmt are both great bits. If you want one of the best then step up to onsrud.

Don

[seagul]

thanks guys! i just got done making a new router table (2ft x 4ft)
so i can cut the larger sheets of acrylic..

im gunna attempt my first tank build here in a couple days, any suggestions?!

specs:
black an decker 3/4 hp roughter with the drop deck removed for table mounting. 2ft x 4ft table.

[boboxx]

I buy all my bits from here...good bit and good...

http://www.elitetools.ca/

[RyanBrucks]

here's a suggestion:

post some pics of your router table please

Im using a tiny little craftsman thing. It was cheap and I only wanted it to cut small pieces. Sooner or later I'll want to make/buy a larger one so I'm interestd to see what you came up with.

[Acrylics]

Don has already mentioned CMT, Onsrud, and Amana so I'll add Whiteside. Pretty much the better names that are easily available.

James

[seagul]

http://routerbitworld.com/category_s/1056.htm

^ good site, that has amana plastic cutting bits, in all the sizes you could need(depending on your router)


ill get some pics tomorrow, its basicaly, a 2ft x 4ft sheet of plywood on a 2x4 based stand, with a hole off to the right side for my router bit to stick up through. Id like to buy some masonite to sheet over top and wax it so it will give it that airhockey table effect.

[Donw]

Originally posted by seagul
thanks guys! i just got done making a new router table (2ft x 4ft)
so i can cut the larger sheets of acrylic..

im gunna attempt my first tank build here in a couple days, any suggestions?!

specs:
black an decker 3/4 hp roughter with the drop deck removed for table mounting. 2ft x 4ft table.

Check that B&D for run out. I'd concider a little bigger router.

Don

[Acrylics]

What Don said and try find polished Formica instead of masonite, laminate this onto the table and you can slide big stuff with a gentle push.
FWIW, I'm a Porter Cable fan, if you can swing one - I'd highly recommend it though there are other brands that may be as good, and as powerful as you can (IMO).

James

[BeanAnimal]

I like the Amana bits, then whiteside. However, I have found that the woodcraft branded bits are pretty darn nice for the price.

[dattack]

My whiteside seems to last a lot longer than Amanas. I tried Rocklers when they have half off their router bit sells but it probably last less than 24hours when working with acrylic.
What's the difference between just formica at HD and polished formica?

[BeanAnimal]

I have have never used the rockler or woodcraft bits on acrylic. I will keep that in mind.

[dattack]

Anybody think this is work the deal? There's like 8 reconditioned Fein Routers (3 1/4" Hp for only $149 with free shipping) on that so call internet swap meet. I wonder if it's worth it to buy one.

[BeanAnimal]

They make damn good sanders... I would be willing to take the risk. Then again, they may be ragged out from a high volume cabinent shop or something... Recondition in todays world means "a 3rd party contractor picked them up, looked at them and determined them to be in working order". But yeah... for $149 I would risk it.

[GTriever]

+whatever on the brands, although I've had good luck with the Porter-Cable bits from HD. I have found that spiral upcut bits give the cleanest edge...

[Acrylics]

Originally posted by dattack
My whiteside seems to last a lot longer than Amanas. I tried Rocklers when they have half off their router bit sells but it probably last less than 24hours when working with acrylic.
What's the difference between just formica at HD and polished formica?

FWIW, I *once* had a Whiteside spiral upcut last me 13 months of daily use, not 8 hrs/day but for an hour or so every day. I use them on acrylic up to 1.25". I normally get about 100hrs out of them on 3/4" and 1"

"Standard" Formica has a texture to it, not smooth. Any texture creates friction, polished Formica has no texture, just shiny smooth.

James

[mountaindew]

as James pointed out on another thread
its also good to have bits for use only on acrylic and others for wood and other materials

[MinibowMatt]

I use MLCS almost exclusively for acrylic and all my woodworking. Primarily I use those, because the store is just down the street from me. The price is very good for the quality.
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/

[RyanBrucks]

I swear the first thing I am going to do after I get my 220 set up is organize my darn garage sooo many router bits, random blades, tools, accessories etc cluttering up the place and not alot of places to put it all. My current method of putting my router blades in one small drawer with all my other drill bits sawblades etc is not working out so well anymore

I'll probably build some new workbenches with cabinets and drawers for all my crap (entire drawer for router bits etc).


thanks for all those suggestions guys. later tonight I'll shop around and get some of the bits.

So if I have this right:

Straight cutters (with offset blades) good for primary smoothing

spiral bit with trim bearing for removing the flashing.

Does anybody use spiral bits for the primary smoothing for joint surfaces?

And would an upcut bit help to bring the waste upwards, into the shopvac attachment, or do I have it backwards?

[ByteStalker]

I use a compression bit for cutting instead of a spiral upcut bit. The compression bit is made to cut down from the top and up from the bottom. I use it on plywood, acrylic, melamine and laminates. It produces a really smooth edges on the top and bottom. But you do need to use a guide with the router.

You can also use pattern bits. The come in 2 and 3 flute designs and cut a down shear. You can get bearings for the top, bottom or both. They cut real smooth also.